Jmprovement in expansion-jacks for staging-ladders



1. new. I EXPANSION-JACK FOR STAGING-LADDERS, v No.171,-742. PatentedjJhaml,1876;.

INVENTOR- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK ROTE, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

.IMPROVEMENT IN EXPANSlON-JAC KS FOR STAGING-LADDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,742, dated January 4, 1876; application filed I December 1, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK RoTE, house-painter, of the city and county of Lancaster, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Expansion- Jacks for Staging-Ladders, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to a class of elbowjointed reversible brackets for sustaining staging or scaffolding on two or more ordinary ladders.

The improvement consists in the arrangement of the parts so as to make it more convenient to manage, and secure its firmness'by an expanding screw-action, and adapt it more particularly for painting spouting or cornices on dwellings, 860.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the construction and several modes of application of the same, with letters of reference.

A brief description will enable those skilled in the art to make and use it, in which Figure l is .a perspective view of the expanding staging-jack. Fig. 2 shows their application on the topmost rounds of the ladders outside, and reversed to bring thestaging on the inside of the ladders.

The horizontal short arm A is provided with a hooked notch, '61, for embracing a round of the ladder, and is connected at the other end by means of a stout pivot-bolt between two long legs or vertical supports, B B, also provided with two or more hooked notches, b, for adjustment on the rounds. These legs flare outward, and are provided with a turningscrew, 0, that enters a female screw in one leg; or, better to use a right-and-left screw for expanding the legs equally, to produce pressure against the inside of the side rails of the ladders L, and thus keep them in place. These legs B also project above over the upper edge of the short arm a, so that a plank, P, is easily laid upon them from one to the other, and held between the rails of the ladders and said projections. Thus the plank is wall for painting windows or the brick-work,

I am aware that Patent No. 29,086, July 10, 1860, has the same object in View; but this jack or bracket is suspended by a long arm, with two diverging short supports in a horizontal position, so that the heavy plank necessarily used must be inserted between the vertical hanging arms and the inclined ladders, so that it is difficult to accomplish without displacing the supports,which also brings the vertical arm before the painter, and requires longer ladders to attain the same height of staging, and is practically found highly deficient in security and convenience: nor can it be improved by turning it upside down, to use the top of the two short arms and single long prop or support. Hence, the result obtained by the change gives to my arrangement many advantages, and is deemed a decided improvement independent of the additional advantage of the expanding screw attach ment, the projecting ends of which also serve for steps in passing up the ladder over the jack; therefore,

What I claim as my improvement in reversible adjustable jacks or brackets for sustaining staging of scaffolding on two or more ordinary ladders is- The expansion-screw G, in combination with the two long legs or vertical supports B, with their adjustingnotches b, and the short arm A, with its notch a, the whole constructed and arranged as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

F. ROTE.

. Witnesses:

W. B. WILEY, JACOB STAUFFER. 

